lynn in love with fried dough

oh I have a goodie for you today! Yesterday, while treking the aisles of Target, we were discussing how almost every country has their own version of deep fried dough. Think about it, it's true! That conversation plus the eager anticipation of the Texas State Fair (Sept 25th, ya'll), made us hanker for some funnel cake. I thought, why wait for the fair to start to get our hands on that delicious golden fried batter.

When we got home, I came across this recipe for funnel cake by Rachel Ray, and went on to making them. Seriously, this was SO easy and yummy...and oddly enough, not that terribly "unhealthy" tasting :). Haha...in the 20 minutes it took to make them, I did manage to set off the fire alarm, plus spot a possum right outside my kitchen window. Possum and funnel cakes.... how positively...Texas! :)

Ingredients for 8 servings (I halved this recipe to make about 6 funnel cakes for the two of us)
3 cups vegetable oil
4 cups flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups milk
3 large eggs
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

1. In a deep medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it registers 350° to 375° on a deep-fat thermometer. I generally use Canola Oil if I'm to use vegetable oil. It claims to be the best cooking oil, with it's low saturated fat, high monounsaturated fat and omega 3 fatty acid profile.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt

3. Make a well in the center and add the milk and eggs; whisk until smooth.

4. Transfer the batter to a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, remove the excess air and seal the top. With scissors, snip off a corner to make a 1/4-inch-wide hole. Carefully squeeze about 1 cup batter (one-eighth of the mixture) back and forth into the oil, making a free-form lacy web.

5. Cook until golden on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, turn the cake over and cook until golden on the other side, about 1 minute more.

6. Transfer the funnel cake to paper towels to drain briefly. Repeat with the remaining batter.

7. Dust the funnel cakes with confectioners' sugar and serve hot

we finished ours off with powder sugar, agave nectar, and raspberry preserves. Divine!

Oh.... and I was able to just catch the possum as it traipsed across our kitchen window. Ick, ugly little rascal isn't it??